FROM SARAH RICE!

Hi friends and fellow performers,

Would you be please be so kind as to put this on your facebook pages, email out to everyone on your email list that you think might be interested and help beat the bushes for an audience? I need your help to get people there for a very worth cause and a damn good concert! Hope to see you all there! 

If you can't come, donation info is included towards the bottom.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW AT 

https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/9856053

Thanks!

Sarah

Broadway Concerts Direct

proudly presents

a benefit concert for

ZANI'S FURRY FRIENDS- a wonderful animal rescue organization

at  The Laurie Beechman Theater

LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ‘ROUND

An Evening of Song to Help Our Furry Friends

SAT 11-30-13 • 7pm (doors open at 6:00)

Starring (multiple Tony, MAC and Bistro Award Winners): *

Dana Lorge, co-host

Lee Roy Reams, co-host

Celia Berk

Carole Demas (GREASE -- original Sandy, THE MAGIC GARDEN)
Joanna Morton Gary
Carly Ozard

Craig Pomranz

Sarah Rice (SWEENEY TODD) Lennie Watts
JoAnn Yeoman
*Artists subject to change without notice. 

LAURIE BEECHMAN THEATER

West Bank Cafe

407 W 42nd Street

(between 9th and 10th Ave.)

NYC, NY

RESERVATIONS: 212.695.6909

TKTS via OvationTix:

OvationTix by phone 866-811-4111 (toll free)

$50 / $25 cover

+ $15 Food and/or Beverage Min.

Doors open 1 hour prior to show

Tkts may also be purchased at:

PETQUA

Broadway bet. 98th & 99th Street, NYC, NY

cover: $50 VIP gold circle-$25 general seating / $15 food/drink min. not included-- they have really great food!

Children are welcome.

This evening's cabaret extravaganza by some of Broadway and Cabaret's finest performers will be a party mix of enchanting music, guaranteed to touch the heart and delight the spirit to help this wonderful animal rescue organization, Zani’s Furry Friends, a tax deductible organization, 501c3.

This incredible group rescues dogs, cats and bunnies right out of the euthanasia rooms of the city's animal shelters,  gives them medical care, kindness and loving attention and gets them adopted into loving homes through their own tremendous effort and many times paid for out of their own personal pocketbooks. 

We feel it is an honor to be of some help. 100% of the money from the evening's proceedings (cover charge, raffle, journal) will go to Zani's Furry Friends. 

Please help us pack the room. Buy your tickets early through OvationTix. This will guarantee you get in. Tell your friends.

If you can't come to the performance you can still make a donation www.ZanisFurryFriends.com.

The Laurie Beechman Theatre and Phil Geoffrey Bond have generously donated the full proceeds (100%!!!!) of the cover charge to all go to Zani's Furry Friends. (not including the food/drink charges)

A great way to feel good about the upcoming holidays! Help the unloved and the dumped, find love, safety and kindness.

Prizes! Raffles! for some great stuff! 

Specialty drinks: THE MEOWTINI, THE BARKTAIL and 2 non alcoholic drinks: THE ARISTOCAT and THE TRAMP.

Immerse yourself in the thrilling beauty of these naturally gorgeous, powerful, warm voices at that hot spot, The Laurie Beechman Theater at the West Bank Cafe, one of the best  of cabaret/supper club spaces. BCD concerts have been called "Life-affirming", "show-stopping", "Like Babette's feast for the ear" by reviewers and audience members lucky enough to have seen our previous performances. Don't miss out on this heartbreakingly beautiful and thrilling concert.

For more information please visit our web site

www.BwayDirect.com

Seating is limited and filling up fast, so be sure to buy your tickets early for this exciting event. At the last ZFF benefit concert we had to turn so many people away who wanted to be there and to help support ZFF. Don't be left out.

###

NYCB THEATRE AT WESTBURY SCHEDULE

August      7                  Cinderella (Children Summer Show Series)

August      14                Alice In Wonderland (Children Summer Show Series)

August      14                Little Feat & Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes with Amy Lennard

August      18                Rock N Blues Fest Starring Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter & More

August      19                The Wiggles: A Celebration

August      21                Peter Pan (Children Summer Show Series)

August      24                Elvis Tribute Spectacular starring Shawn Klush & More

August      31                Steve Vai

September 1                John Kay & Steppenwolf with The Bourbon Stills Band 
September 2                The Marshall Tucker Band with Stanton Anderson

September 5                IL Volo

September 7                IL Volo

September 8                Charlie Daniels Band & The Commander Cody Band

September 12              J. Geils Band

September 14              Russell Brand

September 15              Darius Rucker

September 16              The Fresh Beat Band – Live In Concert

September 20              Bret Michaels

September 21              Sinbad

September 22              Jackie Mason

September 23              Celtic Thunder

September 28              Nitty Gritty Band & Asleep At The Wheel 

September 29              Doo Wop Extravaganza

September 30              Gabriel Iglesias

October      3                LI Cares Event: Tom Chapin (School Groups Only)

October      5                Clannad

October      6                Theresa Caputo (Matinee Added)

October      7                Richard Scarry’s Busy Town Busy

October     12               Engelbert Humperdinck

October     18               Weird Al Yankovic

October     19               Asia

October     20               Hot Autumn Night starring Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone & More

October     26               Al Green & Lalah Hathaway

October     27               Melissa Etheridge

October     28               The Price Is Right Live!

November   2               Roger Hodgson: Legendary Voice of Supertramp

November   3               Jay Black & Bill Medley

November   4               Gary Allan

November   10             Fitingo Music presents En Vogue & Lillo Thomas and Friends

November   11             ImaginOcean

November   24 & 25     The Moody Blues

November   27             Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Extravaganza

December   2                B.B. King

December   6                Father Charles and Laurie

December   13              The Irish Tenors Christmas Spectacular

December   15              Chef Robert Irvine

December   20              Straight No Chaser

May 17 2013                 Johnnn Mathis

May 18 2013                 Johnny Mathis

BUY TICKETS AT LIVENATION.COM.  CHARGE BY PHONE AT 800-745-3000

SELECT TICKETMASTER LOCATIONS and the WESTBURY BOX OFFICE

All dates, acts and ticket prices subject to change without notice.

Tickets subject to applicable service charges.

Visit www.TheTheatreAtWestbury.com for more information

AL Jarreu And Ashford & Simpson Performance

“We’re in this love together. We got the kind that lasts forever. And like berries on the vine, it gets sweeter all the time”. Do these lyrics sound familiar? They were made popular by the only vocalist in history to net Grammy Awards in three different categories: jazz, pop, and R&B. Yes, it’s Al Jarreau who will be taking his musical talents to the Nokia Theatre at Times Square, for Love Is In The Air – An Evening of Love Songs on February 15th.

For those of you who may not know Jarreau, his career has expanded for decades that probably started with his first performances singing secular songs in a choir with his mother as the church pianist. Born in Milwaukee, WI, on March 12, 1940, he was the son of a preacher. Where did it go from there? I interviewed Al on my radio show, Whirl With Merle on www.blogtalkradio.com this past Monday afternoon.

Al hearing my sense of humor said, “You fit perfectly in my band.” He asked me if I ever hung out at the Improv as he did, “known to be the place to get the bugs out of your routine.” It seemed that he did the hanging out in the late 1960’s and that he and Julio Martinez were the “comic relief”. Back to his career, Al has performed on Valentine’s Day in New York City for several years as a tradition. In addition, this year, Ashford & Simpson will be on the roster with a new rendition of “Solid As A Rock”…Solid As Barack”.

As a young man, Al got a gig singing in between the double feature movies with performances earning $75 a week and the non-paying Do Whop on the street corners. There was an a capella choir (he admits to now being able to sing any song from a Broadway musical) and then onto nightclubs while he went through grad school. He soon went off to San Francisco where, after earning his master’s degree in psychology, pursued a career as a Rehab Counselor and singing two-three nights a week with a trio from 1964-68. When the club folded he made the decision to do his music full time.

The change that began to occur was in writing his music as he now had the time to think about it. He and Julio Martinez did a four-year run at Gatsby’s in Sausalito. Al tells me, “Raggedy Ann and Susan’s Song were two of the songs that we wrote for my first album.”

What is the difference in his styles? “I’m weaving a jazzy approach throughout my music”, although he admits that 2% of his music are specifically “jazz”. I felt that his song Mornin’ became one of the most “heard” songs on the radio. We then broke to compare the songs Roof Garden and Rainbow In Your Eyes. Although Roof Garden is more jazzy with “skat” they are common to all of his music with “syncopation”. We also agreed that the jazz radio stations, such as CD 101.9 are great for waking up to in the morning.

What else was Al Jarreau’s famed music? How about the theme from the television program, Moonlighting. We then talked about the type of jazz of which I labeled as “showing off your instrument”. “Jazz lost a bit of its form”, said Al. “It used to be music that people danced to.”

His latest CD is Love Songs, produced just a few years ago, although he did cut a Christmas CD last year. The song Take Five has become one of his favorite songs that “takes on a life of its own” as “every group that takes on Al Jarreau and becomes a new song just about every night”. We should look forward to having him perform that song on February 15th.

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson have been two of the most influential songwriters and performers in R&B music since the 1970s. Their compositions include some of the greatest hits of all time: “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” “You’re All I Need to Get By”, “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand” (Diana Ross), and “I’m Every Woman” (Chaka Khan). Their own recording career reached highs in the 1980s with the #1 hit smash “Solid”. Today they continue to record and tour the world performing to SOLD OUT audiences and spreading musical joy to many, many loyal fans. These are two performers you won’t want to miss!
Tickets: $89.50/$79.50/$59.50
Available at www.ticketmaster.com
For more information visit http://www.SmoothJazzNewYork.com

Al Jarreau On My Radio Show

I usually air my radio show on Thursday evenings. However, next week I will be broadcasting on Monday from 3p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST). Al Jarreau is my guest as we will be shmoozing about his career and upcoming concert at the Nokia Theatre in Manhattan. Ashford & Simpson are also on the bill for the concert on February 15th.